The term “contouring head” as used herein, refers to an apparatus adapted for use in combination with a programmable drive system controlling the position of a single edge cutter such as a carbide insert to contour the interior diameter of a preformed bore in a metallic part. The head preferably includes a universal carrier called a “pot” adapted to receive the cutter which, in turn, is connected to a rotating spindle. The spindle and a surrounding sleeve may be connected to a numerical control system that can control the rotation of the sleeve and spindle as well as the depth and effective diameter of the cutting tool in the part.
A system generally conforming to this description is described in my issued U.S. Pat. No. 5,520,077 issued May 28, 1996; the system described herein is an improvement to the mechanism described in that patent.